Railway-switch mechanism.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

INTERNATIONAL SWITCH AND SIGNAL COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MAs- SAOHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

RAILWAY-SWITCH MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 80, 1906.

Application led November 8, 1905. Serial N0. 286,338.

To' a/Z whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK L. YOUNG, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Y-Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Railway-Switch Mechanism, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like figures on the drawings representing like arts. p This invention has for its object to provide a novel means for keeping the moving parts of a switch and signal mechanism sufficiently Warm so that there will be no liability of its becoming clogged by snow or ice during storms.

In accordance with my invention I place adjacent the moving parts, which it is desired to keep clear from snow, and ice coils of pi e through which some heating medium may e circulated or into which a heating medium may be forced, and in the preferred embodiment of my invention I arrange these pipes transversely of the track and between the ties, and also preferably provide means which, with the ties, form a chamber or cham` bers Within which the pipes are located.

The pipes may be heated either by circulating a suitable heating medium therethrough or b forcing some heating medium into them an providmg said pipes with apertures through which the heating medium may be discharged directly into the cham- Abers or against the parts which it is desired to kee warm.

In t e drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a switch embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a section on the line :c 1v, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail showing a modification, and Fig. 4 is a detail hereinafter referred to.

The switch herein shown is a double switch, such as is frequently used at a place where one track crosses another.

3 and 4 designate two unbroken fixed rails, each slightly curved, and 5, 6, 7, and 8 desi nate two pairs of ivoted switch-rails whic form extensions o fixed rails 9, 10, 11, and 12, respectively. The two pivoted rails 5 and' are connected together by a suitable member 13, so that they move in unison and are operated by means of a switch-rod 14,

connected to any suitable switch mechanism. (Not shown.) The pivoted rails 7 and 8 are also connected by suitable connection 15 and are operated by a switch-rod 16, also connected to a suitable switch operating mechanism.

17 desi ates the ties, on which the switch structure 1s supported.

The parts as thus far described may be of any sultable or usual construction and form no art of my resent invention.

n this em /odiment of my invention I place between the ties 17 coils 18, of pipe,into or through which a heating medium may be forced. The various coils 18 are preferably connected to ether in series, so that the heating medium om a common source may be forced into or through all the coils.

In order to prevent waste of heat by radiation and to direct the heat radiated from the heating-coils to the place where it is most needed, I propose to cover over the portion of the coils between the rails so as to form a chamber in which the coils are placed, said chamber preferably extending underneath or adjacent the moving parts of the switch and signal ap aratus whicht is desired to keep Warm. n the embodiment of the invention herein illustrated this chamber is formed by means of a shield or cover 19, which is arranged between each pair of pivoted rails and which preferably is supported above and spiaced from the ties by means of spacing-bloc s 20, which in turn rest directly on the ties. The spacing-blocks 20 are placed a sufficient distance from the moving rails so as to permit the latter to have their necessary movement, and preferabl the plate or cover 19 is sufficiently above t e ties so that the connecting-bars 13 and 15 pass through the chamber. By means of this construction a chamber is formed which extends the full length of the moving switch-rails, and in this chamber the heating-coils 18 are located.

In order to prevent the escape through the space between the ties and beneath the rails 3 and 4 of the heat within the chamber which is radiated from the 'pipes 18, I propose t i close said space between the ties and beneath the rails 3 and 4 by any suitable means, such as cement or cinders, as shown at 30. ,s

In order to facilitate the yconduction of the IOO tending to and underneath the fixed rails 3 and 4. There will be one of these heat-conducting members adjacent each pivoted switch-rail, and as these members form, 1n effect, the side of the chamber containing the lheatingag-coils they become heated, and because they are made of a material which is a ood conductor of heat they will convey this eat directly to the moving switch-trails, andl thus keep the latter warm.

The above construction rovides means for maintaining adjacent to t e moving parts of the switch sufficient heat to keep them clear from snow and ice.

The cover or shield 19 is preferably made of some non-heatconducting material-such, for linstance, as wood-and by em loying the heat-conducting members 31' the eat which is radiated from the heating-coils 20 is conducted directly t0 those parts of the switch which it is desirable to keep free from snow and ice'. A I

For keeping the detector-bar free from snow and ice, in case one is used, I pro ose torun a portion .of the pipe 18 alongsi e-of the rail adjacent the detector-bar, as shown in Fig. 4, and to protect said pipe by means of a suitable shield 33.` 4 The pipes 18 may form part of either a closed circulatingsystem or an o en system. If said pi es form part of a close circulating system, t e heating medium of whatever nature will be heated in affurnace or heater 23 and then forced by a pump 24 or other equivalent means through the closed circulating system, the heating medium being returned to the heater to be reheated by means of a return-pipe 25.

If the o en system is used, the various pipes 18 w11 be provided with apertures 26, as seen in Fig. 3, and the heating medium, of Whatever nature, will be forced into the pipes 18 and then discharged into the chamers beneath the shield 19 through the apertures 26.'

When the open system is employed, I prefer to use air as the heating medium, and in place of the pum would use a fan or equivaent forcing mec anism. Where air is used for the 'heating medium, the jets of air may be forced directly against themoving parts of the switch or into said chambers, as desired. One of the essential features of the present invention is arranging a heating `means or heat-distributing'means between the ties on which the rails'of the switch rest and then providing a suitable heating-chamber within which 4the heating means or heat-distributing means is received, all as set forth in the claims.

It is not essential to the invention that any particular character of heating medium be employed or that an particular form of heating means be emp oyed, nor is it essential to the invention that the'heat-conducting members 31 be employed.

The drawings do not illustrate all forms in which the invention may be embodied, and it will be obviousthat the constructional details may be varied without departing from the invention.

Having fully l'described my invention,what I claim as' new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a switch apparatus, movable rails, ties on which said rails rest, means forming a heating-chamber beneath said rails, and heating means between adjacent ties within said chamber.

2. In a switch, movable rails, ties for supporting the rails, heatingipes disposed between the ties, and means arming a chamber to inclose said pipes.

3. In a switch, movable rails, ties for su porting the rails heating means between t e ties and extendln means forming a chamber to receive said heating means.

4. In a switch, movable rails, ties for supporting-said rails, heating-pipes arranged between adjacent ties and extending transversely 'of the rails, and means forming a chamber to receive and cover said pipes.

5. In a switch apparatus, movable rails, means forming a chamber beneath said rails which extends from one side of the track to the other, and heating means within said chamber arranged between the ties.

6. In a switch fixed and movable rails, ties on which said rails rest, heatingipes disposed between the ties, and means orming with the ties a chamber to receive said pipes.

7. In a switch and signal apparatus, movable parts, heating-pipes adjacent said movable parts, a shield to partially inclose and cover the pipes, and conducting members to conveyheat radiating from the pipes to the.

parts desired to be heated.

8. In a switch and signal apparatus movable parts, heating-pipes adjacent sai movable parts, a shield to partiall inclose and g across the track, and

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cover the pipes, and heat-con ucting members having a portion extending under the moving parts to conduct heat thereto.

9. Ina switch and signal apparatus, heating-pi es adjacent the parts desired to be heate means to heat a heating medium, means to cause said heating mediumto circulate through the pipes, and means -aford-/ ing aninclosing space adjacent the moving parts of the apparatus to 4receive said pipes.

834,439 f v B 10. In aswitch and signal apparatus, heatheat radiated from the pipes to the part or 1o ing-pipes adjacent the parts desired to be parts vto be heated.- heate means to heat a heating medium, In testimony whereof ,I have signed my means to cause said heating medium to ,cir- Yname to this specification in the presence of 5 culate through the pipes, means affording an l two subscribing Witnesses.

inclosing space adjacent the lmoving parts of FRANK L. YOUNG. the apparatus to receive said pipes, and a Witnesses: heat-conducting member associated with the Loms C. SMITH,

inclosing space and arranged to ,convey the BERTHA F. HEUSER. 

